Category — General

Have you heard about the new search engine created by ex-Googlers?

Its called Cuil - pronouced Cool - from the old Irish word, meaning Knowledge.

Its - well, its a search engine.  Has some neat features - I very much like the layout of search results and the tabs that help merge search with navigation.  Will all this be enough to pull me away from Google?  I don’t know.

I have such a love / hate relationship with Google, so it is hard to tell.  They have great stuff, but they are also extremely liberal in nature.  How liberal?  The last reported numbers that I could find had 98% of all political donations going to the Democrats.

Do I really want to use / enrich / endorse a company that is so blatantly anti-conservative?  Not really.

I guess I will try Cuil for a while and see how it goes…

Search Engines, Cuil, Google

I don’t eat fast food as much as I’d like to.

I probably eat it more than I should.

Anyway, when my wife decided that she was going to take herself, my daughter and two nieces out to lunch, the kids wanted to go to McDonalds.

My wife asked me what I wanted them to bring me back for lunch.  I went to McDonald’s website, and for 10 minutes tried to find their stinking menu.  I could find out how many calories are in a McNugget, but not what their menu is.

I sent them this letter.  I’ll let you know if they respond.

Hello,

I think your marketing or web design team has forgotten that McDonald’s is actually a restaurant.  Where the heck is the MENU listing on your site??

I know that nutritional information, all of your public works, scholarships, donations, and keeping people up to date on sports and exercise is important.  Given the flack that you’ve received lately, I can understand you addressing it all on your site.

But, honestly - you guys are a restaurant chain, first and foremost.  I know every restaurant doesn’t have each item available, but you really should have your MENU as a top level choice at the top of your page.

Given how big you guys are, you may not care about this, but my wife took herself and three kids to Carl’s Jr. instead of McDonalds, because I could look up their menu and tell her what to pick me up for lunch.

Anyway, thanks for listening.

The sad part is that they just came through the door holding…you guessed it.  McDonalds bags.

Oh well.  So much for voting with my dollars!

McDonalds, Carls Jr, Fast Food

Check out this awesome song from Craving Lucy, a new band that is simply awesome.  My friend’s son is on accustic guitar…  Get them on iTunes, Rhapsody or Amazon!

I’m Alive!

Craving Lucy, I'm Alive!

Props to my Brother and his wife for this info…  Verified on Snopes.com.

I lost my Mom to a stroke so I hope that this helps you.

Perhaps you can save someone you love after learning this?

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters…. S.T.R.

My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree.

If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..

Please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) …..she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don’t die…. they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this…

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke… totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the “3″ steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke ——– Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another ’sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ’stick’ out his tongue.. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.****

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

****  snopes.com reports that the tounge test may have too much room for interpretation and that sticking with the original 3 tests is best.

how to recognize a rtroke, stroke detection, stroke, prevent stroke damage

Hey!  Did you know that you can “upgrade” a book at Amazon?  I just purchased a book, and it gave me the option to upgrade to also own a digital version that is hosted by Amazon.  For only $3.99, I can access the full book text, take notes, annotate, copy and paste, etc. on anything in the book.  Even better, I can access it from any internet connected browser. 

Not all books are available, but they give you a list of stuff you’ve bought in the past that you can upgrade.  Pretty cool…

Amazon, Books, Electronic Reading

We were down in FL visiting H’s parents and we were able to take the boat out for a quick spin. Here’s a picture of Captain Emmy driving the boat - really. She’s pretty darn good!

I can get along with just about anybody.

Seriously, I’m not joking. In my entire life I can literally count on one hand the number of people that I’ve met that I didn’t like. And, if I’m honest, the number is really only one person that I just couldn’t get out from under my skin.

Its true. Only one person in over 3 decades. Isn’t that amazing? Oh, I freely admit that there are some people that I like spending time with less than others, but thats just natural. The other? Not so natural.

A very good friend of mine said to me today, “Andy, your greatest strength is that you love people very easily.”

He’s right, I really do. In fact, its easy if you know how to.

You can do it too.

Seriously! Wouldn’t you like to be able to take almost every annoying jerk in your life and somehow turn them into a New Them? A Them that you can get along with, learn to like and eventually, maybe, even one day love? Who wouldn’t want that!?

The secret is maddeningly simple when you know it.

When I start to get to know someone I simply think to myself:

What was God thinking when He made them?

I’m sure you’ve met some people that have made YOU think that too, right?! Seriously though, I really don’t mean that in a funny way. I mean it with all sincerity.

I picture the Master Craftsman sitting in His workshop with a handful of new clay, pondering the beauty of the raw material of life. As His hands start to mold the clay, all of His Love and blessing pours into the form as he works it into a shape unlike any other ever created. His thumbs mold the face, and his fingers set the nose just so. He places the eyes in the exact way that He means them to be and He knits the strands of their being in a way that make complete sense to Him. He even numbers the hair on their head, each one having its place and purpose for that which He has called them to be - for what He is creating them to be, right before my eyes! Then, when the outside shell is ready, His Word breathes life into them and makes their spirit in His image. He creates them just like Him - He the Father and they the children. He knows each challenge and fear they will face; each triumph that will make their spirit soar. In His awesome wisdom, He knows and Loves this new creation and desires nothing more than a deep relationship with it. He wants to be loved by it in return.

REVELATION!

That jerk is the object of God’s desire!

Have you ever worked with someone, or known someone that is a hard and tough person most of the time, but then you see them with their kids and a new person leaps out of their eyes? They smile, they joke, they goof around and make funny noises and for a brief moment, you can see the love that they have inside finally come out on the outside.

That’s what I’m talking about. I envision the Love that God has for that person and try to see exactly what it is that He loves about them. Is it their laugh? Their heart? Or maybe its the kind of weird way that they stick their tongue out when they are concentrating on something. How many ways does a Parent love His child? It is nearly immeasurable. All you need to find is just one. One will make a huge difference in how you see that person.

Sure, with some people it is harder than with others. Some people take a bit of effort, but the more that you do this, the easier it is. We are called to be more like Him, and He is love.

Would you like another small revelation? God Loves His children and therefore they are lovable! Isn’t that alone an amazing thought? The person that you can’t stand is LOVED by someone! Loved by God, if by no one else. If you try to see someone from His eyes, it is hard to not like them.

This attitude really can help in everything - in family life, with friends, with coworkers, with neighbors - everywhere!

I know, I know… Some of you probably think that this is a childish and stupid philosophy. That’s really OK with me. You can live your life however you would like. In fact, I believe that you have a God given right to choose to live with those jerks and hate every minute of it! The choice is really up to you. There will always be jerks in your life, but how you choose to view them can really change how you feel about them.

Me? I’m going to go spend some time with some of my other friends…

How to Like Anyone, friends, jerks, God's Love